Guest Commentary: Obama can't have it both ways on faith-based hiring

Sen. Barack Obama recently promised that if elected, he would embrace President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative and build upon it. As a Democrat who directed this initiative for over four years in the Bush White House, I applaud his good intentions. Indeed, the beneficiaries of Bush's policy extend across the country and continents. More than 200,000 addicts have been helped through the innovative "Access to Recovery" treatment program, and ex-prisoners participating in Bush's novel re-entry program return to prison at rates less than half the national average. The widely acclaimed global AIDS relief program has transformed the lives of millions. Here at home, thousands of religious charities have received grants to help the hurting — from the Empowerment Program in Denver that helps ex-offenders successfully re-enter... [read full story]